Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-12-01
SALISBURY'S PLATFORM.
Important Speech by the Premier Be-
fore the Conservative Nation
al Union.
A Local Government Bill for England
to Be Proposed at the Co
ing Session
British Politics.

In a speech at the meeting of the Ma
tional Union of Conservatives at Oxford.
Wednesday, Lord Salisbury said he saw in
the success of the conference the happiest
augury for the future. Information from
Scotland showed that the calm sense of
the Scotch would not sanction any scheme
endangering the integrity of the empire.
He acknowledged the generous and I'M
stinted help of the liberal Unionists, and
declared that so long as their support was
assured the country would remain in
peace secure from the assaults of the
party of disorder:
At the evening conference Lord Sails
bury said he would not renew the discus
sion Of the question whether home rule
would be established or not. The author
of the proposal had withdrawn his meas
ure. 1t would pass the wit of man to
produce home rule scheme which would
be pleasing to both Mr.. Trevelyan and
Michael Davitt. The coming session of
parliament would be devoted more to
measures that would satisfy the
pressing wants of England. He did
not intend until there was a manifest
change in Ireland to propose the in
creased powers of local government
there. Obstruction has been threatened
to everything that might be proposed ia
parliament until the demands of the home
rulers had been granted. The govern
ment were prepared to face obstruction.
The present system of procedure was not
enough. Drastic reforms we're required
to prevent a wanton waste of the public
time. He hoped that the effect Of these
measures would be the restoration of the
character and usefulness of the house.
The question of the regulation of the
liquor traffic, he continued, would have
the foremost place in the local govern
ment bill. He was in favor of liberty in
traffic as far as was consistent with social
order. He said he was strongly opposed
to church disestablishment, but admitted
that the government were bound to re-
form the church by removing whatever
evils were proved to exist. He promised
a measure for the removal of 1.-THE
charges from land. The state of agri
culture, he said. was deplorable. What
ever measures of relief might obtain the
the general consent would receive the
readiest consideration of the government.
Referring to the Trafalgar Square
troubles, he said he regarded the meetings
there as lawIess demonstrations. They
were the natural results of Mr.. Glad
stones words. Mr.. Gladstone could not
preach to the Irish mob TO defy the law
without having bis advice applied in
England as WELL He Salisbury was con-
WINGED that the country would say with
him that those claiming the right of pub
lie meeting were not privileged to con-
vert it into the right Of making them
selves a public nuisance. The govern
ment were determined at all cost to
maintain the supremacy of the law.
He could not understand what it was that
excited the sympathy of the English lib
erals in the case of William O'Brien, who
had broken the law and melted others to
lawIessness. He did not fear that the at
tacks of the liberal leaders on recognized
principals OF order would confuse the
moral sense of the English nation. On
the contrary, the substantial effect would
be to convince the public mind in favor
of policy which vjndicated law and or
der throughout the kingdom.